Coming to Terms
by defyingnormalcy
Summary: Andrea hears through the grapevine, rather than at home, that Sharon has given her consent for Rusty to get involved with the ongoing investigation to catch his stalker. (Fic was written for skillwithaquill on LiveJournal for the 2nd annual holiday gift exchange at majorcrimes) Hobbs/Raydor established couple.


A/N: Thanks to rococoms for her suggestions and kayryn for her beta and suggestions. This was written for skillwithaquill on LiveJournal for the 2nd annual holiday gift exchange at the community, majorcrimes.

XXX

Sharon looked up from the pot on her stove to greet an exhausted-looking Andrea Hobbs.

"Hi. Dinner's almost ready," she informed the DDA.

Instead of her usual warm greeting or offer to help finish up with dinner, Andrea merely plopped her suitcase down on the floor near the coat rack and shrugged her blazer off. "Great. I need a shower. I won't be long," she mumbled. Before disappearing down the hallway towards Sharon's bathroom, she gave Rusty a lingering, solemn glance.

"Did she lose a case or something?" the teenager asked from his spot on the couch. He looked back at his foster mother in the kitchen. "Don't take this the wrong way, but she looks like hell. Rough week?"

Sharon merely frowned and shrugged. "I have no idea. Rios worked with us on our case this week. Andrea did have other cases and court dates to attend to, but nothing outstandingly stressful as far as I know," Sharon replied quietly.

Rusty shrugged. "Maybe it's nothing, maybe traffic just annoyed her or something?" he offered.

Sharon considered his words carefully. She debated over whether she should go and check on Andrea, or give her partner some time alone.

"Or," Rusty said, snickering, "maybe she pissed her boss off so he made her work with Emma all day today."

Sharon gave him a look that clearly indicated that she was not amused. "Would you mind draining the pasta and mixing it with the sauce? I'll go check up on her," she asked as she untied her apron.

"Sure thing," he said. He eyed her worriedly as she followed the path that Andrea had taken down the hall towards Sharon's bedroom.

Andrea was wrapping a towel around her damp body when Sharon entered the bedroom.

"That _was _quick," Sharon said by way of greeting. Andrea had a habit of taking unnecessarily long showers whenever she stayed over; she'd drained all their hot water in the condo more times than Sharon could keep track of. Sharon had, exasperatedly, confronted her multiple times about it and the DDA had sheepishly apologized and asked for forgiveness. She explained to Sharon that showering was more than just a hygiene ritual for her; it was a way for her to distress, to let go of her anger and frustration and to refocus.

Andrea shrugged. "I already showered this morning at my place. I just needed to stand under the water for a bit and clear my head."

Sharon worried the skin of her bottom lip. "Did something happen at work today?" she asked quietly. When Andrea continued to dry off and dress without responding, Sharon continued. "Even Rusty noticed that you seem off," she added. Sharon took a step towards Andrea and rubbed her now t-shirt clad shoulder.

Andrea stiffened under Sharon's touch causing Sharon to withdraw her hand immediately. Andrea crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Sharon seriously.

"I had a meeting with Emma Rios today. Despite having to give up the Stroh case because I am personally involved with our material witness and his foster parent, who is also the commanding officer involved with the case, I still get briefed on the details of the ongoing investigation. It's a mere formality, but one that I am entitled to nonetheless seeing as I helped to initiate the investigation. So, imagine my shock when not you, my partner, but Emma Rios informed me that you agreed to put Rusty out on the street as bait for his stalker."

A heavy silence followed Andrea's words. Sharon mimicked Andrea's posture, preparing herself for an involved argument.

"First of all, I did not make Rusty aware of this option. It was Lt. Provenza who informed Rusty that he could partake in the investigation if he consented to it," Sharon clarified.

"No, you only signed off on the papers granting _your _consent as his legal guardian for him to get involved," Andrea replied, her voice was low and dangerous.

"Andrea, he is going to be a legal adult in just a few months. His psych evaluation checked out, and even Taylor is now onboard with this plan. Whether I like it or not soon he is going to be beyond my control and he'll do whatever he wants-"

"You shouldn't have consented, we can catch this guy without putting Rusty at risk! He might get pissed off but at least he'd be alive!" Andrea shouted.

Sharon opened and closed her mouth in shock; she'd never once heard her partner raise her voice.

Andrea's arms unfolded and her hands ran through her blonde hair in frustration. She took a measured breath then tried again, "Sharon, do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" she whispered.

"Of course I do," Sharon said tearfully. "I am aware of every single thing that could go horribly wrong and every single way that he could be harmed, or worse."

"And yet you still consented, you still kept this whole thing from me-"

"I am his legal guardian Andrea, not you. I alone had to make the incredibly difficult decision to give my consent for Rusty to be involved in this," Sharon ground out; as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them.

Andrea looked at Sharon with a mixture of horror and anger. "Yes, you're right. You are his legal guardian. You are also the only person in this world who is concerned about his safety and wellbeing. You're the only person in this world who has grown to love him," she said quietly.

"Andrea, I didn't mean that," Sharon amended hastily.

Andrea glared at Sharon. "And you know what? It's the truth. I know it, you know it; we are both very aware of how the law works in this state. It doesn't matter how much care for a child, if you don't have that little slip of paper that binds you to them, you have no say in matters concerning them," Andrea said bitterly.

Sharon hastily wiped away the tears that had collected under her eyes. "In 1997 the LAPD attempted a similar operation. The victim was the son of a Detective, he was seventeen years old and he just wanted to help catch the person who had been vandalizing his home and sending threats to him and his family. The operation was a failure. Not only did the boy get abducted and murdered, but the killer was never caught and his father had to live with that guilt for the rest of his life," Sharon whispered, "I don't sleep anymore. I stay up all night worrying about him, analyzing my decisions, wondering if I've made the right choice. But like it or not, Rusty is going to be beyond my legal control soon and he will attempt to find this person on his own. The only thing that I can do is offer him protection and guide him now while he is still legally bound to me."

Andrea regarded Sharon carefully before stepping forward and embracing her. "I shouldn't have raised my voice," she whispered against the top of Sharon's head.

Sharon clung to Andrea fiercely. "I didn't know how to tell you. I was trying to come up with the right time, or the right way, but we've both been so busy at work lately. I also know how much you love him and I know that you would have tried to convince the DA to stop him from getting involved. Rusty would have found out and he would have reacted, badly. I can't have him running away out of anger or fear, I just can't."

Andrea rubbed Sharon's back soothingly. "I know. I know, I just…I am so afraid." She felt Sharon kiss her rapidly beating heart through the soft cotton of her shirt. "And I hate that I technically have no legal say in anything regarding his wellbeing."

Sharon pulled back slightly and cupped Andrea's face. "Legal guardianship or not, kids grow up, they become teenagers who want to defy all of our wishes and then they become adults who make decisions without even telling us. It's not easy, but that's life. That's just how it works when you're a parent," she said softly. "Rusty is going to go out there either way, all we can do is collaborate with him, offer him protection and training."

Andrea sighed. "Promise me something? Promise me that he'll have your entire division out there with him, plus a few black and whites."

Sharon smiled warmly and kissed Andrea's tear-stained cheek. "I've already ordered a dozen black and whites to be briefed on the case, and every single one of my officers volunteered to be his protection before I even had the chance to formally ask them."

"Good. That's good," Andrea mumbled as she held Sharon close to her. "I can't lose either one of you," she whispered fiercely.

Sharon nodded her understanding and held Andrea as close as physically possible.

XXX

Rusty eyed the two women knowingly as they emerged from Sharon's room. Sharon in her concern must have forgotten to close their bedroom door because he'd caught most of their heated discussion. As they came into the kitchen, he saw the redness of their eyes and the dark circles that framed them and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt deep in his belly.

"Uh, dinner is ready," he offered.

"Thank you Rusty," Andrea said. She patted his arm and took a seat next to him at the table. Sharon settled down across from Andrea, placing Rusty between them at the head of the table.

"Look, um," he let out a sigh and regarded Andrea, "I just want to say that I know what I'm getting myself into. I know what the risks are and I just want you to know that I appreciate your concern. It may be hard for you to hear this, but what I had to deal with when I actually lived on the streets, well, it was a lot worse than what I am going to have to deal with to help catch this bastard."

Andrea put her fork down and folded her hands in her lap. "Just because you survived very dangerous situations previously does not mean that I, or Sharon, feel comfortable with you being put in dangerous situations again."

Rusty shifted his attention to Sharon. "You'd never let me get hurt, right?" he asked.

"Never," she said firmly. "And it would be my pleasure to use whoever even tries to hurt you as target practice."

Rusty regarded Andrea again. "I know that Sharon isn't going to let me go out there on my own. And I know that you're not going to let me go out there uneducated and unprepared. I'm not afraid, not because I'm unaware of how dangerous this is, but because I know that I've got you two right behind me making sure that I'm well protected. I can't just sit around and do nothing, I can't," he implored. "If you had the chance to catch this person yourself, even if it put you at risk, but there was a real chance at stopping him from harming anyone, would you take it?" he asked.

Andrea gave him a warm smile and nodded her head. "I would. I wouldn't even have to think twice about it."

"Yeah, see? Exactly. I can catch this guy Andrea, I know that I can and then you two can arrest him and charge him. He'll never be able to hurt people again. Ever."

Sharon reached for Rusty's hand across the table. "Rusty, Andrea and I both put our lives on the line every day for complete strangers because we feel that it is the right thing to do. We're both so proud of you for wanting to help, and for wanting to protect others, but you cannot ask us to put away our concern for you."

"Because that simply isn't an option," Andrea added seriously.

"Okay, okay. How about this, I promise to follow every order that I am given, and I promise that I will not keep any information to myself and that I will take risks but not unnecessary risks. Deal?" he said as he regarded both women.

"Deal," Sharon said as she squeezed Rusty's hand. She gave Andrea a pointed look.

"Deal. But I am still not happy about it," Andrea said. She ignored the mildly exasperated looks from both Rusty and Sharon.

Rusty nodded. "Yes Counselor, the record will reflect your disapproval," he said while grinning.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Andrea deadpanned; she offered Rusty a wink and allowed a smile to cross her face for the first time all day.

XXX

Sharon rolled over again in bed, accidently elbowing Andrea in the process.

"Sorry," Sharon said.

"Come here," Andrea mumbled behind her. She wrapped her arms around Sharon's middle and pulled her close so that Sharon's back was spooned against Andrea's breasts and stomach. She felt Sharon relax in her arms.

"Sorry," Sharon repeated fiercely.

"Don't be. I like having an excuse to sleep close," Andrea said easily as she kissed Sharon's shoulder.

Sharon huffed. "You don't need an excuse," she said. "And I meant…I meant also that I am sorry for fighting with you earlier. "

"I'm sorry as well," Andrea said. She trailed her hand down Sharon's arm to clasp their hands together.

Sharon squeezed Andrea's hand and brought it to her lips.

"How long has it been since you slept a full night?" Andrea mumbled against Sharon's shoulder. She recalled Sharon's tearful confession earlier in the evening about being kept up all night thanks to her concern for Rusty.

"Weeks," she admitted. "But it's been getting worse lately. Lately, I can't even pretend to sleep. My whole body feels restless."

Andrea continued to kiss Sharon's shoulder as her hands began to trace intricate patterns across Sharon's hips and stomach. "Focus on me, on my movements," she ordered softly.

Sharon hesitated before replying, "Alright."

Andrea's hands swept across Sharon's tense abdomen, with each caress Sharon relaxed a little more. Brief, loving kisses were deposited all across the back of Sharon's neck, shoulder and upper arm; Andrea noted each shiver than coursed through Sharon's body.

"Rusty is safe, he is sleeping in his room and the doors are all locked. No one is going to hurt him, or you, I promise," Andrea whispered.

She felt Sharon silently nod her head.

"Tomorrow we're going to the grocery store. Rusty will complain because you'll refuse to fill the cart with pre-made hamburgers and chips. And I will try and convince you to buy half a shelf of coffee beans and you'll give me the same speech that you give Rusty about budgeting and buying sensibly and consuming a well balanced meal."

Sharon's shoulders shook slightly and the older women let a giggle escape. "I'll also tell you that as an adult you should be setting a proper example," she added.

"Yes you will," Andrea said. "He will be under our protection all weekend. He will be safe."

She felt Sharon relax completely in her arms, felt the older woman's breathing slip into a peaceful rhythm. Andrea continued to caress her partner and kiss along her back and shoulder.

Within a few minutes, she too began to feel the alluring pull of sleep. Closing her eyes, she drifted off with her lips still pressed to the back of Sharon's neck and with her hands still splayed out across Sharon's hip and stomach.


End file.
